FBI charges Lakewood man in Elmhurst bank robbery

A Lakewood man who allegedly robbed an Elmhurst bank Saturday morning has been ordered detained after appearing before a federal judge Tuesday.

Evan Hall, 31, allegedly stole $2,999 about 10:35 a.m. from Bank of America, 205 N. Addison Ave.

“The robber said to Teller A words to the effect of ‘I have a gun, and if you don’t give me all your money, I will start shooting people.’ Teller A was frightened by the robber’s words and immediately began gathering money from the teller drawer. The robber repeated his threats to shoot people again,” FBI Special Agent Shanna K. Saunders said in a Monday affidavit provided to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois’ Eastern Division.

The teller then handed over “lower denomination” U.S. currency that included a thin GPS location tracker, which was activated by movement and began emitting location notifications after the teller picked it up inside the bills that were handed to Hall, who fanned the money out as if to check for a tracker or dye pack and then ran out of the bank, Saunders said.

Law enforcement officers were able to monitor the GPS tracker’s location in real time, and Elmhurst Police Department officers tracked it to a gas station at 414 S. Kostner Ave. in Chicago, to which Chicago Police Department officers also responded, Saunders said.

Hall was driving a white Honda CR-V that had been reported stolen earlier in the day Saturday to the McHenry Police Department, Saunders said.

Police officers found the tracker from the bank and $2,886.10 in a backpack Hall had with him, according to the affidavit.

The missing bank funds were not explained in the affidavit.

Officers detained Hall about
11:15 a.m. Saturday at the gas station, Saunders said.

Bank robbery is a federal offense, so Elmhurst police transferred the offender to the custody of special agents with the FBI for further investigation, Elmhurst Deputy Police Chief Mike McLean said in an email Saturday.

“Great work by the Elmhurst Police Department and the Chicago Police Department,” FBI Chicago media coordinator and Special Agent Janine L. Wheeler said in an email.